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Mischa Wilmers' Writings

As a journalist I have written about social issues and international affairs for the Guardian, the Independent, New Internationalist, Huffington Post, Equal Times and the Big Issue in the North, among other titles. I now work at the University of Leeds as a qualified careers professional, helping international students fulfill their career ambitions

Posts

I am often asked by
friends and acquaintances why I decided to learn Chinese. There is no simple
answer to this question. However, in this post I will attempt to summarise some
of the main reasons and describe my experience of joining an estimated 200,000 Brits
as a student of the world’s most spoken language.

I started working
at the University of Leeds two years ago, following a career transition. Having
moved to a new city I was looking for things to do which would enable me to
meet new people in my spare time. I noticed that the Business Confucius
Institute (BCI) were offering Chinese evening classes on the
university campus and, together with a friend who had also recently moved to
the city, decided to sign up to a beginner (level 1) class.

This initial
decision was made on a whim – there were no grand career ambitions, set goals
or plans to travel to China in the immediate future. Part of my attraction to
the challenge o…

Today I was wondering around the students' union at lunch time when I stumbled across a group of people at a stall who were getting students to try on some virtual reality headsets. I had no idea what was behind it but decided to try on a pair of goggles.

When I put the headset on I was transported to an animal slaughter house and as I looked around I saw many cows crammed into cages. Then a farmer walked towards me and stunned a nearby cow who immediately collapsed unconscious. After this the cow was strung up and bled to death.

When I took the headset off one of the men at the stall asked me how I felt about what I’d seen. I told him I was surprised at how painless the slaughter had appeared, and that it was surely towards the humane end of the factory farming spectrum. It quickly became apparent that the man was a vegan activist as he began questioning me about my ethical opinions and presenting stock philosophical arguments against factory farming. I made it clear that I had alr…

Over the past few years I have had the privilege of working as a freelance journalist, covering issues which I care about - from miscarriages of justice to disability rights - for numerous publications. I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience and have learned a great deal from researching social issues and interviewing fascinating people. Unfortunately, during the last few months I have been unable to write as much as I would have liked, owing to commitments related to a career transition.

Through my writing I have become increasingly interested in labour issues, including youth unemployment, graduate prospects, worker instability, the growth of freelancing and self-employment. This interest has led me to pursue a second career as a consultant, helping students in higher education to navigate the challenging and often confusing world of work as they plan their future careers.

Most people are able to place a small bet once in a while
without suffering any real consequences beyond losing a tenner. However, for a
small minority, gambling can become a serious addiction with the power to destroy
lives.
In the UK, it’s estimated that around 350,000 people suffer from an
addiction to gambling – recently classified as a disorder in the latest edition
of the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM V) – and those numbers
are growing.
Last week the Guardian hosted a debate in collaboration with
Discuss, where two expert speakers debated whether or not gambling is now out
of control. Here’s what they thought:
If members of the audience were in any doubt about the
potential for gambling to cause harm, few remained unconvinced after hearing
the first speaker, Paul Buck, recount his personal story. Buck who is the
founder of EPIC, a problem gambling consultancy, began his career in retail shortly
after graduating …

The level of debate around whether Britain should bomb Syria demonstrates
why critical thinking should become a compulsory subject for children in
British schools. To give an example, if someone puts forward the argument:
"Bombing Syria will strengthen, not weaken, ISIS and make things worse for
all of us", the standard reply: "so what are you proposing; that we
just do nothing?" isnota logically
valid counter-argument. The question of whether we should bomb Syria or whether bombing will be
counter-productive is entirely separate from the question of whether or not
there are other policies, that do not involve bombing, which could have a
positive effect. The onus is on those defending bombing to demonstrate
that their policy is likely to have positive, rather than negative,
consequences. Merely asking their opponent what they would do instead adds
nothing to their argument whatsoever. This is understood in almost every o…

In recent years, education debates have largely centred on
disputes between teachers’ unions and the government. While teachers complain
they are overworked and under resourced, ruling politicians – such as the
former education ministerMichael Gove– insist on the need for greater
“academic rigour” in the classroom to ensure pupils can compete in the global
marketplace.
Yet beyond the
rhetoric, grave doubts remain over the education system’s competence. According
to arecent studyby the British Chambers of Commerce,
two-thirds of companies believe secondary schools are failing to prepare pupils
for the working world. At aGuardian Live/Discuss eventheld in Manchester Central Library
four expert panellists debated for and against the motion: Education is failing
our economy.
First to speak for the motion was Guardian Education writerMelissa Bennwho told the audience that successive
governments have refused to invest sufficient funds in careers advice…

Last month George Osborne backed a deal with China to build
a new £24bn nuclear
power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The government claims the new
plant will be relied on to deliver 7% of the UK’s electricity while providing a
low cost, low carbon alternative to fossil fuels.
But not everyone agrees, with
critics arguing the plants will be expensive to build and questioning whether
nuclear energy represents a safe, clean and cost-effective energy future.
On Thursday the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester
played host to a public debate as part of the Manchester Science Festival in which
four expert panellists debated the motion: Nuclear power, yes please. These
were some of their thoughts: Four reasons why nuclear is the answer:Britain has led the way in developing
nuclear technology
Dr Fiona Rayment, director of Fuel Cycle Solutions, argued that Britain
should be proud of its leading role in developing nuclear technology since the
fir…